Apparatus for facilitating the picking or sorting of dried peas or the like.



' No. 735,788. vPATENTED AUG. 11,- 1903;

I J. MAJOR.

APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE PIGKING 0R SORTING OF DRIED PEAS 0R THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 3, 1903.

NO MODEL.

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' PATENTED AUG 11, 1903. J. MAJOR. APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE PIGKING OR SORTING 0F- DRIED PEAS OR THE LIKE- APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1003.

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- UNITED STAT S IPatented August 11, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MAJOR, OF ECCLES, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR FACILITATIN G THE PICKING R SORTING OF DRIED PEAS OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,788, dated August 11, 1903.

Application filed March 3, 1903.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JAMES MAJOR, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 28 Cannon street, Eccles, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Apparatus for Facilitating the Picking or Sorting of Dried Peas or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of apparatus for facilitating the picking or sorting by hand of dried peas and the like. This operation is usually performed entirely by hand, the operator taking a handful of the peas or other seeds or the like, spreading them upon a table, picking out or sorting therefrom the decayed or imperfect ones, and then,

- by hand, distributing the assorted peas or the like and the refuse into separate receptacles.

My invention consists of an apparatus designed for facilitating and expediting this hand-picking or sorting operation.

The manner in which my said invention is to be performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the sheets of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof."

Figure 1 on the drawings is a front elevation; Fig. 2, aplan view; and Fig. 3 is a section through about the line A A, Fig.1, of my improved apparatus. r

The apparatus consists principally of a hopper a, in which the peas (or the like) to be picked or sorted are placed and fall froma narrow slit or opening in the lower part or mouth thereof onto a distributing-board Z which is provided with a grid 0, through which dust and small broken particles of husk, &c., fall into any suitable receptacle placed beneath. To this (I istributing-board b a to-andfro motion (slow forward and quick backward) is imparted, which carries the peas (or the like) forward through an adjustable fixed distributing grid or guard 01, made of metal with openings 00 of a suitable size (see Fig. 3) and causes them to fall slowly and evenly over the edge of the board 1) onto an endless traveling clothor apron c, which moves them slowly forward'over a sorting table f, placed at a lower level than the distributing-board b. The slow'flforwarchandguick backward motion maybe given to the distributing-board b by any convenient mechanical means-such,

Serial No. 146,009. (No model.)

'on it, moves slowly forward the attendant picks or sorts out the imperfect or decayed ones or refuse and draws them sidewise ofi the cloth into a hopper or funnel j, which conveys them into a receptacle beneath the table f, while the assorted peas (or the like) are carried forward slowly by the apron e and fall over the roller 7.; at the end of the apparatus into a sack Z or into a box or other suitable receptacle.

Various ways of controlling the revolution of the rollers and other parts of the mechanism may also be employed, one arrangement which I found to work satisfactorily being illustrated on the drawings, m being the first driving-shaft, on one end of which is keyed the driving-pulley n, which is actuated by a belt from any convenient shafting. On this shaft m is mounted a bowl 0, which revolves with it; but is capable of sliding on a long feather or key, so that it can be moved by a lever p nearer to or farther from the center of the disk q, with which itis in contact and which it drives, so that the speed ond motion-shaft 7", also on a key, so as to be capable of being moved into or out of contact with its driving-bowl o by means of a lever s and pedal t. At the other end of the shaft 1' is keyed a bevel-wheel a, driving a similar wheel u keyed on the third motionshaft y, which carries a pulley 1;, driving one of the rollers It by means of a belt 10. TVhen it is desired to stop the action of the machine, the attendant places his foot on the pedal and depresses it, as shown by the dotted lines, which causes the lover s to withdraw the disk q out of contact with the revolving bowl 0, thus stopping the revolution of the second motionshaft 1'; When the pedal t is depressed, as' aforesaid, it comes below a tooth m on a spring-catchlever y, (see Fig. 3,) which holds the disk q out of contact until the attendant pushes the lever 11 sidewise with his foot so as to release the pedal, when the coiled spring 2, Fig. 1, pushes the disk (1 again into contact with the driving-bowl 0, which then sets the working parts of the machine again in motion.

I claim as my invention- 1. A machine for use in sorting peas or the like, comprising a frame, a hopper open at its lower end and fixed to the frame, a reciprocating bottom for the hopper projecting on both sides of the open bottom, openings in the forward side of the hopper above the reciprocating bottom, and means for imparting a slow motion to said bottom while moving in one direction and a fast motion while moving in the other direction to force the peas out through said openings, in combination with an endless traveling apron below said openings on which the peas fall, substantially as described.

2. A machine for sorting peas or the like, comprising a frame, a hopper open at its lower end and fixed to said frame, an adjustable plate having openings, in the forward side of the hopper, and a reciprocating bottom to said hopper beneath its open end, in

vssnsa combination with an endless traveling apron below said openings, substantially as described.

like, comprising a hopper, openings in the forward side thereof, a reciprocating bottom therefor, a bell crank -operating lever and means to operate it slowly in one direction and rapidly in the other, said means comprising a diskhaving studs, pulleys and bevel- JAMES MAJOR.

\Vitnesses:

J. W. HUGHES, .T. ERNEST HUGHES.

I). A machine for use in sorting peas or the' 

